Hope I’m posting this in the appropriate forum. I’d appreciate advise about my stereo setup; please see photo below. To begin with, I’m limited in options for speaker placement. Currently the front of the speakers are 29 inches from the wall; I could move them until there is 34 or 36 inches, but that’s the limit. Centers of the speakers are almost 7 feet apart, and although I can play with toe in, I can’t move the speakers further apart. But one thing I could do would be to get rid of the stereo console that is between the speakers. Would this improve stereo imaging? I’d have to put the components close to the floor and/or off to the side, but I’m considering it. Anyone care to guess if removal of the stereo cabinet would have an appreciable effect?
Lower height and move speakers further from wall
Hey softlight…tell us more about your room dimensions…
this can help solve/answer your question.
As far as your cabinet goes…the low height of your cabinet including your gear
should not be much of a hindrance to imaging.
Depending on room dimensions pulling your speakers out from the wall on out
to several feet can improve sound staging…it has for me.
Waiting to hear about your room dimensions…
Best wishes
Yes.
It will. If there’s enough space between the speakers and the wall behind you, put the gear as low as possible along one of the side walls, or even behind you. It would mean either the speaker cables or, if you want to keep the amp near the speakers, the interconnects will need to be longer. Personally I’d keep the amp near the speakers.
I don’t think removing the cabinet would affect imaging much because of it being so low. Doesn’t interfere with midrange drivers or tweeters from the looks of the photo.
How far back are your ears from the fronts of the speakers? And how are you centered when listening? A good place to start is to sit so your nose makes an equilateral triangle measured from the center of the speaker drivers. Best to get the speakers pulled as far away from the front wall as you can, so 34-36 would probably be better.
Personally, my own experience says otherwise. With my own variety of equipment over the decades, I’ve tried just about every combination of rack heights and locations. Again this is just in my own experience, but unless the equipment was on the floor (platforms or otherwise) it always seemed they had some detrimental effect compared to nothing at all.
I’m really obsessed with symmetry and if I were you I’d start working on side walls first reflections.
Also speakers distance from the front wall is crucial in my experience.
Anyhow congrats for your system, looks nice.
Good luck.
I also think there is a potential impact your current placement has on the stereo image.
Can you move the gear so that it against one of the walls? Like this - only without the Christmas tree 
And move your speakers further away from the wall
Thanks!
As stated, speaker movement is extremely limited due to room layout, traffic pattern, etc. The equipment is already pretty much against the wall also.
Thank you!
Thanks!
Possible movement of speakers is extremely limited (traffic patterns, furniture, other things).
Thank you!
1st reflection points are already treated, although placement of those treatments is compromised by a fireplace on one side and a picture window on the other …
understand…go for the furthest from wall as possible
and give space between speakers to ‘breathe’, possibly try @markus46 picture
I don’t know your speakers but the electronics certainly is competent to reveal fine sound stage…which will be behind the speakers with as little as possible sound apparent from either speaker
experimentation a must…even going to more dramatic component position changes that you will end up with…see if you can get the magic and then scale back to what your life style can live with
Hello, and thanks.
The house has a quasi open floor plan. The room has a cathedral ceiling that is about 14 feet high. The length and width are 16 x 30 feet BUT there are complications: a short wall in one place dividing part of the room into two halves (not a lot of square footage here, but still). There are large open doorways leading to other rooms. So the room size isn’t straightforward.
Unfortunately, I cannot pull the speakers out any more than perhaps six inches from where they are now. This is due to traffic patterns, furniture that is in the way, etc. (Darn real world complications, but what can you do?)
Thank you!
I’m using a equilateral setup: the speakers are almost seven feet apart, and my listening chair is about the same distance from a center line between the speakers. In other words, very close to an equilateral triangle.
Super, thanks!!
Thanks for sharing…there should be a solution for you
somewhere …
Best wishes
Popular thinking is that your setup would be improved by getting the gear and cabinet away from where they are.
But there’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?
Reserve a couple hours to take all your components out of and off of the rack, put them on the floor and move the rack to the other side of the room.
Then spend a few days listening and see what you think.
Then, after a few days, pull the speakers out as far as is practical. And see what you think.
exactly what I had in mind in my last post above